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Man arrested after Walmart employees find child porn on phone left in restroom

Man arrested after Walmart employees find child porn on phone left in restroom

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Updated: 5:51 PM EDT Mar 12, 2018

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WEBVTT GREG HE WASN’T EVEN SUPPOSED TOGREG: EXACTLY.HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UP INHAD NO IDEA THAT HE WAS INTHIS IS JACOB PERRITT’S MUGSHOT.AND SO IS THIS FROM DETROIT.>> THE INDIVIDUAL IS AGREG CLERMONT POLICE TELL MEHE APPARENTLY LEFT HIS PHONEACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT,THE EMPLOYEE FOUND PHOTOGRAPHSAT THE SAME TIME, A MAN AT THEPOLICE WERE CALLED AND SAY THE>> A YOUNGER GIRL.AND THAT ALERTED OUR DETECTIVESGREG MICHIGAN PRISON RECORDSPOLICE SAY THEY FOUNDAN ALLEGED PLOT THAT WAS SHUT>> IT’S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHATIT’S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE STAFFWALMART CONTACTING THE POLICEGREG PERRITT IS FACING SIX TOTALHE’S BEING HELD ON $50,000 BOND

Man arrested after Walmart employees find child porn on phone left in restroom

Police said they've caught a fugitive from out of state who was arrested at a local Walmart on child pornography and drug charges.

Officers said Jacob Perritt slipped up when he left his phone in a restroom. What was found on that phone left one employee stunned.

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Perritt's parole officer said he failed to check in last month.

Perritt is suspected of possessing child pornography.

Had he not lost his phone, he might never have been caught, police said.

"The individual is a registered sex offender out of Michigan," Sgt. Malcolm Draper, of the Clermont Police Department, said.

Clermont police said Perritt was at a local Walmart on Saturday, inside one of the family restrooms that's designed for parents with young children. He apparently left his phone behind, and it was found by a worker.

According to the police report, the phone was "on the sink shelf and was video recording."

The employee found photographs on the phone, including at least one of a "white male in various stages of undress" in that particular restroom.

At the same time, a man at the customer service desk, who police said matched the description of the man in the photos, had reported a lost cellphone. Police were called and told the phone contained photos of "a young female, possibly 5 years old," naked.

"A younger girl. And that alerted our detectives to conduct a more thorough investigation, ultimately charging the individual with possession of child pornography," Draper said.

Michigan prison records indicate Perritt has been a fugitive since Feb. 14, for allegedly failing to report to his parole officer on a prior sex crimes conviction.

Police said they found methamphetamines in Perritt's pocket and that he was starting a meth "pipeline from Florida to Michigan, an alleged plot that was shut down by alert store employees."

"It's a good example of the staff recognizing something unusual, which was the phone and the fact that it was left in the family restroom and bringing that over to their security staff at Walmart, contacting the Police Department," Draper said.

Perritt is facing six counts, including child pornography, video voyeurism and drug possession.